COMMENT: Kepa Arrizabalaga. It's his spot to lose, surely? On form. On fitness. There is no reason for Graham Potter to tinker with his current choice of goalkeeper at Chelsea...
It was Thomas Tuchel's last major decision before Todd Boehly swung the hatchet. Potter's predecessor dropping his Champions League winning keeper Edouard Mendy and going with Kepa for Chelsea's opening game at Dinamo Zagreb.
And it was a tough call for the German to make. Tuchel had stood steadfast behind Mendy all year. From dropping Kepa and immediately reinstating the Senegalese after last season's African Cup of Nations commitments, to sticking with Mendy as a new season kicked off riddled with mistakes.
In the end, the result in Zagreb was defeat - and dismissal - for Tuchel. But before Boehly's infamous Cobham morning video call (only to later appear in person after Tuchel's exit), the manager all but affirmed that Kepa would get an extended first team run.
"First of all most important is that Kepa has deserved to play for a long time," he said that evening. "We have two goalkeepers who compete at the highest level. It's a new competition it's maybe a good opportunity to take a breath for Edouard [Mendy] who was a bit unlucky in the last games – not bad but unlucky."
Since then, Kepa has justified Tuchel's backing. It's only been a handful of games under Potter, but for now, the Spaniard is the new manager's No1. A knee strain for Mendy had eased the pressure on Potter. Though with the ex-Rennes man now fully recovered, he does have a choice to make.
Should Potter rotate? Chelsea against a managerless Wolves is a home banker. Three points are there for the taking. A nice, comfortable home game, albeit with Diego Costa having something to prove, to ease Mendy back into the fray. But for this column, that would be a mistake - and would send the wrong message.
As we say, the No1 status, the first-choice selection, this should be Kepa's place now to lose. Potter, indeed Chelsea, needs to back the Spaniard. Beyond current form, they owe Kepa. Not only for the patience and professionalism he showed, but also his loyalty.
You just wonder where Chelsea would be if Kepa had accepted that offer to join Luciano Spalletti's Napoli over the summer. Boehly was willing to do the deal. As was Napoli's movie mogul president Aurelio de Laurentiis. Negotiations over the loan arrangement reaching the point to where Chelsea had agreed to cover 75 per cent of Kepa's salary for the season. This deal arriving after earlier enquiries from Lazio and his former Blues manager Maurizio Sarri.
And Kepa was tempted. There'd be no drop in his wages. And he'd join Napoli, with a Champions League campaign awaiting them, as their new No1. In a World Cup year. And finding himself strictly second fiddle as a Chelsea player. All odds were on Kepa leaving London for Naples.
But in the end, after some persuasive talks with Tuchel, he chose to stick. Nothing was guaranteed, but Kepa agreed to stay, with loyalty playing a key factor: "I had opportunities to leave Chelsea this summer - there were things, but the club has always given me their trust, they have always wanted me to be part of the squad.
"We analysed it and I was happy to stay with this fantastic club."
Those comments were made on local Spanish radio, where Kepa is regularly sought for a soundbite. And significantly, unlike so many fellow pros when back amongst their own, Kepa has always been upbeat about his lot at Chelsea. Despite his battles with Mendy, there's never been any running down of the club or manager. It's always been positive. Even after this week's victory over AC Milan, Kepa was again available for comment to Spanish reporters.
Reflecting on the change of management, Kepa said: "He (Potter) is a coach who has only been with us for two weeks but it is clear that the team wants to be the protagonist, we want to have the ball to attack. I'm doing well with my characteristics, I feel comfortable in this style and we have a long way to grow because we haven't had much time to train, we're picking up his methods and I think we're on the right track."
Much in the traditions of Petr Cech, Kepa is proving himself - on and off the pitch - a great ambassador for the club. And when you consider what he had on the table from Napoli, compared to what little Tuchel was offering him at the time, there's no explanation for his decision other than a deep connection to Chelsea FC.
Loyalty, alone, doesn't win you games. But it is a factor. And when you add the current form and fitness of Kepa, there is no good reason for Potter to tinker with his line-up on Saturday. It really should Kepa's place to lose.
